First Diaper Bank meets a basic need

Sharon Giacchino of NORWESCAP Child and Family Resource Services, points out a small supply of diapers.

Posted: Jul. 27, 2014 6:14 pm Updated: Jul. 30, 2014 9:00 pm

By ASHLEY SCHREYERaschreyer@njherald.com

When a young homeless woman walked into Project Community Connect last year looking for diapers for the young child she was carrying on her hip, none of the county's human service agencies were able to help her.

"That broke my heart," said United Way of Northern New Jersey officer Mary Emilius. "We checked with different providers and nobody had any diapers."

The program was organized to show low-income residents the services available to them in the county from insurance to food pantries, but diapers were one thing they couldn't offer.

The event prompted NORWESCAP Child and Family Resource Services to organize the county's first Diaper Bank.

"It's just an unmet need in the county," said Sharon Giacchino, a program director at NORWESCAP, who is organizing the bank along with several volunteers.

According to Emilius, food stamps cannot be used to purchase diapers and wearing a soiled diaper for an extended period of time can expose a baby's sensitive skin to chronic infections.

According to the Diaper Bank's brochure, an average infant can use up to 12 diapers in a day, and a toddler can use up to eight. Most child care centers require a day's supply of diapers be dropped off with a child, according to NORWESCAP, and without transportation to larger discount stores, the monthly cost of diapers could double or triple.

Through the bank, Giacchino hopes local businesses, schools and other organizations will host diaper drives in an effort to build up the supply of diapers that will be stored at NORWESCAP's office and distributed to local organizations such as Family Promise, Birth Haven and Catholic Charities.

When organizations apply to host a drive, NORWESCAP will provide the fliers and information necessary for a successful event created by one of the bank's volunteers, Albert Gruswitz, of Andover, an advertising illustrator.

"I've lent my creative abilities to a lot of different charitable organizations," Gruswitz said. When he heard of the idea to start a Diaper Bank, he pushed to make the idea a reality.

"Once NORWESCAP took this on, I decided I better put my money where my mouth is."

Gruswitz also serves as a county outreach location coordinator for Operation Chillout, a homeless veterans program.

"That made my decision to move forward with this," Giacchino said, of Gruswitz joining the team. "Marketing is my weakness."

The first drive is scheduled for late September, but Giacchino hopes companies will reach out beforehand.

Danielle Schappert, of Sparta, is also volunteering her time with the Diaper Bank while managing her children's hectic schedule.

"I think it's just finding something that I can fit with my kids' schedule," Schappert said. Schappert dropped off a bag of diapers at NORWESCAP Thursday, while carrying her youngest child, Enya, on her hip.

"She's our youngest volunteer," Schappert said of her one-year old daughter.

The donation Schappert brought in was of adult-size diapers, and the group stressed that all sizes of diapers are being accepted, as well as monetary donations.

"It's a fledgling right now," Giacchino said, staring at the empty shelves in the office's storage room.

"But not for long," Schappert added.

Anyone interested in hosting a drive or making a donation can contact Sharon Giacchino at 973-383-3461 or giacchinos@norwescap.org.